


Diamond in the Rough

by musicalreader



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Yellow Diamond AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-07
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-13 09:21:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4516443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicalreader/pseuds/musicalreader
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if the story we all know of the boy named Steven Universe had a different beginning? If the Diamonds had seen more in the planet than simply resources, and the Crystal Gems weren't really the heroes humanity saw them as... Dive on in, and follow along then, as I tell you the story of Steven Diamond Universe, exile, and possibly the only one who can stand up to the tyrrany of Rose Quartz and her Crystal Gems. </p><p>When all else fails, believe in Steven.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue : A War Story

_***BEGIN LOG TRANSMISSION*** _

 

_Some Gems believe the schism was unavoidable... That by the time the Diamonds learned of Earth's existence, their own civilization was starting to deteriorate, and even the seemingly unyielding minds of The Authority were starting to feel the creep of fear and doubt. But by the time the small blue green world on the edge of the galactic cluster was being looked into as a possible Kindergarten site, it didn't exactly matter either way._

_When news was released that this planet was rich in so many of the resources needed to help grow a new generation of Gems, it was met with great skepticism. All had heard this story before, a thousand times over in fact. And almost every planet so far outside the Homeworld's star system had been a failure. That planet near Quadrant 35-theta was rich in silicate minerals, but had none of the necessary binding agents, and the gems made there not only disintegrated within a century, and were insane at the best of times. The metal rich dwarf planet in Alpha Centauri Prime was filled to the brim with promise, but no one could have foreseen that nearly half the gems that breached the surface would be unstable to the point of combusting violently and setting the atmosphere on fire, preventing any further work from ever being accomplished and dooming those left behind to a life of solitude and flames..._

_...So many lost..._

_Their kind had no way of reproducing the way that organics could. But they were still cursed with a drive to spread and propogate like any other sentient life form. Some saw this as the price their race paid for their seemingly immortal lifespan. But regardless of the reason for their suffering, every Gem in existence was tired of it. Only a handful still had hope, and those were the Diamonds, so it was only fitting that this latest, most promising site would be surveyed and overseen directly by the head of The Authority, Yellow Diamond._

_To the shock of the entire Homeworld, upon arrival to Planet MW-314, the drones and probes not only returned findings of natural resources that dwarfed even the Gems native star system, but also showed that everything was in almost exactly the right proportions to create an entire 4 generations of their kind, with more to spare even after that. The Diamonds hailed it as their greatest find in nearly 10000 years. And for once, there was hope..._

_Then the probes returned other findings, findings that began to drive the wedge between the cracks that were forming in the foundations of Homeworld. and The Authority was at its heart._

_The planet was inhabited. Not simply by mindless beasts, or even lower level organics that hadn't so much as developed a way to communicate with each other. It was riddled with sentient organics that seemed to almost have the same appearance as a fully grown gem, minus the Gem itself. To see what appeared to be a mockery of their own existence, rendered in living flesh and without the limitations that they suffered, it drove some to madness. The 'Humans' as they called themselves, were still a relatively young civilization, and there were some among Homeworld that thought they should just be ignored, and others that they should be destroyed to free up the resources the planet yielded for their own kind. The Authority was split, with two sides eventually forming. There were those who wanted to simply leave the humans alone, but drain the planet for all it could yield and leave the organics to their fate; and there were those who saw something familiar in the Humans, and wanted to work in cooperation with them, to hopefully heal the flaws in their own species. Yellow Diamond was the adamant leader of the latter group, while the opposition was led must vocally by the Diamond, Rose Quartz. The others among the Authority remained neutral, opting to focus on calming the populace of Homeworld before committing to such a treacherous question of morals._

_In the end though, it was decided that Yellow Diamond and Rose Quartz would both lead the colonization of Earth, with test batches of Kindergarten Gems being planted by Rose; and Yellow Diamond establishing a warp hub and communications spires to remain in touch with Homeworld. All the while, both continued their work and research into their own goals, and both would find something promising in the Earth's inhabitants, but what they found, none can say for sure._

_After a hundred years on the colony planet, Yellow Diamond would stumble onto something that would forever change the history of their species, and so began the end of their short lived 'peace'. What that secret was, however, was never communicated, and communication with 'Earth' has since been lost... Now, the planet is under direct control of Rose Quartz, former member of the Diamond Authority, and current leader of the "Crystal Gems"._

_***TRANSMISSION ENDS*** _

Steven stared at the screen for a moment longer. The story was a familiar one to him, and the file was so often pulled up that Peridot had eventually simply made him his own tablet, tabbing the file to the main screen for him. He traced his finger along the silhouette of an imposing figure, a yellow kite shaped gem glowing from its chest, standing in opposition to an equally imposing figure in pink, with a group of humans behind the figure in yellow while the pink one had a sword raised in its hand.

"...Mom..." Steven muttered to himself, his other hand tapping a finger on the hard surface of the yellow gem, glowing softly from the center of his chest.

Behind him, a warp pad glowed as his guardians entered the only home he'd ever known, an underwater cave beneath the town of Beach City; the same town his father used to live in.

"Steven, we're back. What have you been doing? Probably crying over missing us so much, right?" Lapis teased, giving him a hug in greeting, before seeing what was on his tablet screen.

"Aw, Steven... Why do you keep watching that dumb transcript? It only ever makes you sad..." She asked, snatching the tablet from him and showing the image to Jasper and Peridot.

"Leave him be, Lapis. It's good that he's showing this kind of dedication to his heritage. The more he learns, the better fit he will be to take his place as a leader when we finally get back to Homeworld. Although I do agree, you should really be learning more about tactics than this..." Jasper said, snatching the tablet from Lapis and handing it back to Steven.

"Yeah, assuming we can ever get close enough to the hub to repair the warp pad to Homeworld." Peridot muttered, rolling her eyes at the lot of them and scrolling through a few data screens. "If my calculations are right, then after today's little mess up, they'll be doubling their efforts at finding us, not to mention guarding key points of interest like any and all warp pads that still connect to the hub. And that stupid fusion keeps getting in our way, like she can see the future or something."

"Enough. We're not going to talk about this in front of Steven." Jasper said, glaring at the lime green gem.

"But I want to know this kind of stuff!" Steven objected, standing up to his full height... Which was about to the top of Jasper's knee, but the point still stood. "I want to help you guys, and I want to save this planet too, like my mom tried to do!"

Peridot and Lapis exchanged a look, both waiting on baited breath to see how Jasper would react. She did not, as a general rule, take kindly to being challenged, and that was as challenging a tone as any of them had heard Steven use.

The large striped gem in question was quiet for a minute or two, trying to stare Steven down before cracking a smile and nodding.

"Well, I can't say no to a face like that... You start your training tomorrow. For now, you're still half organic, so you need your sleep. Now go get ready for bed." Jasper said, ruffling his hair and smirking down at the young hybrid.

Steven obeyed immediately, rushing off to the subcavern that had been outfitted to be as comfortable as possible for a human occupant and function as his bedroom.

"... Do you really think he's ready though?" Lapis asked, once their charge was out of ear shot.

"I don't know... But I also don't know how much longer the three of us will last against Rose Quartz without the power that child has inside him... Yellow Diamond put her trust in what he will become. So now it's time for us to do what we can, and trust in him as well." Jasper said roughly, making her way to get own quarters. "Rest up. Tomorrow will be difficult for everyone, I think."


	2. Gem Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven Begins his Gem training.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's a chapter that I DIDN'T write on mobile. Hopefully that means less accidental misspellings and a bit better spacing.  
> Write a comment if you have a question. I'll try and get a new chapter posted as close to daily as possible, because I like this train of thought, and it's helping me make headway on a few other hiatus'd stories as well.  
> Hope you enjoy.

" _Again!_ " Jasper called out, directing the training drones to swarm Steven again, barely giving him a moment to get back on his feet before they were on him, firing a variety of projectiles at him, and forcing the young hybrid to duck behind a rock formation lying nearby in order to avoid being skewered, frozen, burnt, and electrified at the same time.

"Don't you think that you're going a bit too hard on him?" Lapis said, worriedly, watching from the sidelines, a pool of water undulating behind her, ready to jump in and shield Steven if the need arose.

"If he can't manage to beat some drones on their lowest setting, then he's not ready for the real training." Jasper said, matter-of-factly, indicating the sluggish pace of the drones as they trudged along the floor of the training area of the cave system. "Besides... If he can tap into his Gem properly, then something like 'dodging' will be a moot point for him in most cases, and we can focus on more important things."

"As much as it kills me to admit it, Jasper has a point, Lapis. If Steven continues to mature at his current rate, then it's unlikely that he'll be ready for the real dangers on this planet, which I don't think I need to remind you are practically right overhead..." Peridot said, taking notes, working out training regimens as new data came in from the surveillance orbs placed on the perimeter of the training floor.

"Guys! I think maybe this would go a lot easier if I had a shield! Or something!" Steven called out nervously, poking his head over the rock formation to look at his guardians, then immediately ducking as a fireball whizzed overhead, singeing part of his hair in the process. "... On second thought, a helmet might be better!"

Jasper rolled her eyes, standing up from her seat and making her way to part of the sidelines that allowed her to see Steven.

"Listen to me, Steven. There will never be a guarantee of a shield, a helmet, or even forewarning about an incoming attack on a real battlefield. Our position right now is that of an entrenched strike force with supply lines cut off, and we are surrounded by enemies that are better equipped, more numerous, and more informed than us. That is our reality. Now, I know you remember your lessons about battle strategies and tactics. So tell me, what is your main priority right now?" She said, trying to coach the young child as the drones closed in on his position. Ten seconds until the cannons were ready to fire again.

"Um... Uh..." He stuttered, panicking slightly as he heard the drones getting closer and charging up for another barrage, with no guarantee that his shelter would last. "Uh. When all else fails, analyse the enemy. Memorize their weapons, and search for potential weaknesses!"

"Good! Now, what do these drones have for weapons?"

_-7 seconds-_

"Cannons! Elemental and Impact Round cannons!" He replied, shivering.

"And what do you know about those weapons?" Jasper prompted, noting that the drones had maybe a few seconds more before firing their next rounds.

_-4 seconds-_

"E-Elemental and Hard Round cannons. Devastating for direct impact. Damages a Gem's hard light structure and forces the affected Gem to retreat into their core to repair. Also dangerous to Organics, with damage varying depending on which shot was fired. Hard Round's used primarily to break down barriers to open a hole for the Elemental rounds!"

_-1 second: Firing-_

" _MOVE!_ " Jasper shouted, startling Steven out of his train of thought and making him jump, ducking low and running to a new cover as the Drones launched all blasts at once on the rocks he had been using for cover, reducing it to rubble. "You have to make sure to balance planning with action in a real battle! Regroup! Find cover, then THINK!"

Steven heard his guardians words as he slid behind a stalagmite, catching his breath and trying to rack his brain for what he could use in this situation.

"Don't just focus on the weaponry, either! Remember, Steven, a weapon is only as good as the soldiers using them!" Jasper shouted, pacing around the ring, trying to keep an eye on everything just in case anything went wrong. Luckily, the drones were in perfect working order so far, and nothing was out of sync. Even the timing mechanism was working on the cannon shots.

"The soldiers wielding them... Okay... They're drones, which means that they're not really that strong physically. In fact, they're pretty easily destroyed with no notable shields to get in the way... The cannon themselves though... Any one of them could kill me!"

"Come on Steven! I know you can do it!" Lapis cheered from the sidelines. "They're still charging! You've got time!"

"Charging... Wait. That's it!" Steven said, a plan clicking in his head as he stepped out from behind the cover he had been using. "You can't hurt me yet! But I can still take you out!" He said, pointing at the drones defiantly and charging the still sluggish training devices.

"Yes! Exactly! Those cannons are trouble, but they have a cool down and recharge cycle that allows you a window of opportunity. Now what are you going to do with it?" Jasper said, smiling proudly at Steven's change in tactics and insight.

"I'm gonna show them what it feels like to get hurt for a change!" He replied, charging the drones and jumping up, tackling one to the ground and smashing a nearby rock through the front plate of the drone, jumping off and backing up as it exploded and took out the two others closest to it with the shrapnel as he ducked behind some cover briefly for the next barrage, before jumping right back out and continuing his assault on the mechanical trainers.

Soon, there were only a couple of Drones left, and things seemed to be wrapping up nicely. Jasper was so proud of her charge that she didn't even notice one of the remaining Drones sparking and shivering as it's charge cycle sped up.

"Uh... Jasper? I think something's wrong with one of the Drones..." Steven said, taking note as the barrel of the cannon started to smoke and a fireball began to grow at the muzzle menacingly.

"What are you- ** _STEVEN!_** " Jasper asked, her confusion turning to panic as a blast of flames shot towards the child faster than she could react to, his life saved at the last second as he tried to instinctively back up, only to trip on a rock and fall backwards, hitting his head on the ground.

"Peridot! Take that drone down, NOW!" Jasper ordered as she ran to Steven, causing the green Gem to jump as she started overriding the Drone's systems remotely. Lapis flew into action, literally, taking to the air and creating a water wall between Steven and the Drones as Jasper picked the boy up from his prone position on the ground.

"Jasper, is he alright?!" Lapis asked, concentrating on keeping the wall in place as the malfunctioning Drone continued to fire a full power barrage at them.

"I'm fine, Lapis, really. It's just a bump." Steven said, rubbing his head and trying to get out of Jasper's grip to stand up on his own. Not that she was going to let him.

"Humans die from less than that Steven. We're putting your training on pause until I know for sure that you're uninjured." Jasper said, hurrying him back over to the main area of the cave as Peridot finally managed to shut the drone down, and her and Lapis followed behind.

 

**_-3 Hours Later-_ **

 

Steven sat in his room dejectedly, tossing a ball at the wall, and catching it as it bounced back. Honestly, for a cave, it was relatively well furnished, nearly indistinguishable from a normal human room, in fact. But that still didn't help him feel any better at having his training being put on hold just after it began because of a stupid bump on the head. A knock on his door roused the young boy from his thoughts, prompting him to get up and pad his way across the cool stone floor.

"I'm coming, hold on." He said, opening the door and seeing Lapis standing there, looking at him and wearing an uneasy smile. "Oh. Hey Lapis. What's up?"

"Oh, you know... Just checking up on you. Wanted to see how you were doing... Still upset at Jasper?" She asked, entering his room.

"Not really upset  _at_ her... I mean, i know why she did it. I just think it's a bit silly. I know I'm part human, but it's just a bump. Nothing bad. I've gotten injured worse from trying to climb some of the stalagmites." He answered, flopping on his bed and watching her as she sat on the ground, nodding along as if to show her agreement with that sentiment.

"You know she only does it because of how important you are to her, though, right? Well... To all of us, really... And if it makes you feel any better, me and Peridot both got on her about keeping you from doing any training for a month, to just giving you a couple days off. Besides, this was your first day, and you did great! You should have seen how awesome that tackle was! And then you smashed that Drone's chassis in with a rock, and it was awesome! And... and you're really growing up, you know?" She said, shuffling forward and making herself practically eye level with him, smiling softly. "I wish that I could tell you what it's like, learning to control your gem for the first time. Or feeling weak, and wanting to be strong... But honestly Steven, this is a new thing for us... Even as young as Peridot is, most gems form with at least a basic understanding of how their powers work... Teaching someone else how to do it is kind of like if you were to teach the three of us what it's like to breathe..."

"I guess. Still, I was really looking forward to this. I even practiced things on my own when no one was looking!" He whined, pouting and getting a giggle out of Lapis for his trouble.

"Well, I can't talk Jasper down anymore, so how about I help you take your mind of of things, and we go to the boardwalk?"

"The boardwalk?! Really?! Alright! I'll get my backpack!" He exclaimed, grinning ear to ear as he jumped off the bed and started searching through his dresser for the novelty bag he'd made Peridot buy for him online. What he didn't know was that the olivine gem had bought one for herself as well, shaped like something called a BMO.

As they headed towards the entrance to the cave system, Steven and Lapis passed the training room, where the smashed remains of the Drones lay. Steven poked his head inside, frowning when he noticed one particularly dismantled Drone lying in the corner, all but completely shredded.

"I don't remember breaking that one during training..." He commented, prompting Lapis to poke her head in and frown.

"Oh yeah. That's the one that nearly cooked you into a Steven Sausage. Jasper uh... worked out some anger on it after Peridot shut it down and you were in your room..." Lapis explained, steering Steven back towards the entrance of the cave and enveloping the two of them in a bubble, with air for Steven, that carried them to the surface shore on a nearby water current.

"I didn't think I did that badly during training... Was she upset with me?" Steven asked, looking saddened at the prospect of having disappointed Jasper.

"What? No! No, Steven, she was angry at the Drone for nearly killing you... Why would she be angry with you? Come on now... I know she's not the best at telling people how she feels, but there's nothing you could do that would make her hate you." She reassured him, shaking her head at the strange statement from the young boy, guiding him up the sand and towards the boardwalk arcade. "Now enough thinking about Jasper, and training... Let's just play some games, okay?"

"Alright... But you're paying!" He said, laughing and taking off like a shot into the arcade, Lapis trailing after him and complaining about the fact that she had paid the last three times.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter:  
> Gem Awakening
> 
> Steven starts to tap into the powers of his gem.


	3. Gem Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven begins to tap into the powers of his gem.

It had been three weeks since Steven's training had resumed, and nobody was more pleased about his progress than his guardians. Peridot had started to show him more advanced gemtech, and even let him reconfigure one of the old surface probes that had been lying around (Though it had taken a little longer than planned to get his biorhythms in the system). Jasper continued to drill him on tactics, fighting styles, and Homeworld history and culture. And of course, Lapis taught him how to deal with opponents who outnumbered or outsized him with her water clones.

Still, for all he was learning, he couldn't help but feel like there was still something missing... He was doing fine with his studies. The missions had been moderately successful as of late (from what he learned through Peridots video logs, anyway). So why did he feel so... hollow? When he talked to the others about it, they each tried to help in their own way, but nothing really felt like it was helping.

"You're just feeling under pressure from your training. Soon it will pass, and you'll revel in it when you continue on in the future, looking behind you to see the progress you've made. In the meantime though, a great way to bow off some steam is to let that pressure out in a focused burst." Jasper had said, offering to let him have access to some of the broken drones with a few of the weapons lying around, insisting that nothing felt quite as cathartic as some target practice.

He politely declined, remembering the kick some of those weapons packed when wielded by someone his size.

"It's just stress related hormones being released by your organic components. I could whip up a small dose of chemicals to help counteract them, but Jasper would just tell at me for 'messing with your natural instincts', I'm sure... Have you tried adjusting your sleep schedule to allow for more rest? I've noticed that humans have odd emotions when their sleep cycle changes." Peridot suggested, frowning at the readings from one of his latest periodic bio scans, before turning back to her "ongoing study of the internet" which was code for ' _Get out of my room and let me get back to my online game, I was so close to beating that one kid from Lithuania_ '.

Sometimes Steven wondered which one of them was supposed to be the kid in their little quartet...

Lapis had a decent suggestion though.

"You're just lonely, Steven. Maybe if you took a short break and went up to the town to make a friend or two?" She had said, lounging on a couch that had been salvaged from his dad's storage shed after he went missing. "Your mother used to go visit with the humans all the time. She insisted that there were things to learn from them that Gems would never learn on their own... Jasper and Peridot sort of live by that principle... But I think they kind of missed the point that Yellow Diamond was going for."

"Well, that sounds like it makes more sense than shooting a powered down drone, at least..." Steven agreed, nodding. He was doing his best to hide his excitement at getting to go to the surface twice in one month, a rare treat for him, given how dangerous it was to risk being spotted by the Crystal Gems.

"Do you want to run and get your bag? Or do you want to live 'dangerously' for once?" Lapis asked, teasing him just a little bit and making him blush with embarrassment.

"I don't always need my backpack... I just like having it in case something happens!" He objected, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Oh yeah? Well then, prove it. Let's go to town, and you leave the backpack behind. If you do, I'll get you a donut from the Big Donut."

At the thought of fried dough and processed sugar, Steven's mouth began to water... Doughnuts were usually only allowed for his birthday. Peridot said it was to help him stay healthy. There was no way he was going to pass up a chance like this one.

"Alright, fine, let's just get going... I can have one of the ones with sprinkles, right?"

"Heh, sure thing, Steven." She answered, preparing a bubble for them to take to the surface. "Now hurry up before Jasper catches us."

 

\--------> _Beach City_

 

"Oh my gosh, whoever made these things is a genius..." Steven said, scarfing down his second bag of 'fry bits', looking around the boardwalk at the scattered clusters of people. Off in the distance, a roller coaster went down a drop and caused screams and laughter to sound through the air.

"Heheheheh... Yeah, humans come up with some entertaining things. Gems always focus on the necessities, but we rarely think about the little things in life. It kind of makes me envy them, just a little bit." Lapis agreed, entertaining herself by periodically dropping water balls on the heads of passerby. It was nice to just unwind like this sometimes, but they'd been walking around for almost two hours now, and dusk was creeping up without Steven having made a single friend... She needed to somehow push him in the right direction. But how?

Inspiration struck when she noticed a small group of kids that looked to be about Steven's age, walking towards the beach. It was something, at least.

"Hey Steven, I'm going to take care of something... An errand for Peridot. I'll meet up with you at the beach over there." She said, pointing out the cove the kids had walked towards, and giving him an encouraging shove before taking to the air, not allowing him a chance to protest.

"Wha-HEY! Lapis! Get back here! You know how mad Jasper gets if I wander around alone!" Steven shouted after her, to no avail.

"Aw man... I'm gonna get in so much trouble later, I just know it..." He muttered, trudging towards the beach on the assumption that he couldn't get in trouble if he at least stayed at the designated meeting place.

When he got to the cove in question, the first thing to attract his attention was a fence, warning people to stay away. The second thing he noticed was the fact that there was a group of kids climbing said fence, and egging on the youngest girl in the group, who seemed apprehensive about trespassing.

"Come on, Connie. See? There's nothing happening. No landmines or anything." One of the boys on the other side goaded from the other side of the fence, getting a small chuckle from the others.

"I'm not worried about landmines, Buck." The young girl said, her irritation evident, even from a distance as Steven watched, and the other two members of the group clambered over the fence. "The sign just says _do not enter_. It even says _please_!"

"Oh come on Connie. Those things are just put up with the fence, because all the fun stuff is out of the way. We're not gonna get in trouble, and we already promised not to tell your parents."

"You're still not listening! I don't want to do it!" The one apparently named 'Connie' said, stamping her foot in the sand in protest, which just got another round of laughter from the other kids.

"Hey man, if you don't wanna hang with us, you don't have to. We don't need that kind of negativity anyway. Come on you guys. We'll see you later, Connie. Have fun not having fun." The tall one said, leading his group further up the beach and out of sight, leaving the young girl behind.

Steven watched the whole exchange, frowning at the blatant rule breaking, then feeling a bit sad for the girl. He knew that he hated when the Gems went out on their missions without him, and that was for his own safety. He couldn't imagine how much it would hurt him if they just left him alone because he wasn't _'being fun'_... He sat down in the sand, trying to think about whether he should try and make the strange girl feel better, and if so, how; when he noticed something move out of the corner of his eye. He looked over towards the cliff, where the movement came from, and noticed a bunch of small holes in the rock, oozing some kind of green slime onto the sand.

"What the-?" Steven wondered out loud, reaching out a hand to inspect the weird slime covered holes in the rock. Or at least, that's what he would have done if a not so tiny green bug thing didn't rear it's head out of the hole in question and try to snap his hand off with it's mandibles.

"AAH!" He screamed, falling backward in shock. The bug stared him down with a single weird green eye, hissing and spitting more of that slime, which sizzled and smoked as it hit the sand below, like acid. He remained as still as possible, hoping that whatever this thing was, that it would go away if he just didn't seem like a threat. For a second or two, it even seemed to be working, too... Then things started to go south.

In retrospect, Steven should have really been paying more attention to his surroundings. If he had, he might have noticed that the girl was no longer sitting a few dozen yards away. She was right behind him, staring at the green bug thing as well. Except, she didn't think to stay calm and quiet.

"Whoa! That's so cool! What is that thing?" She asked excitedly, reaching over his head to try and touch it, prompting the bug to resume hissing, snapping, and trying to spray them with acid. And when that didn't work... it called for backup...

Swarms of the centipede looking  _things_ came pouring out of the cliff face, crawling down the rock, over the sand, and quickly surrounding them in a veritable sea of gnashing teeth and acid spit.

"... You just had to try and poke it... Didn't you?" Steven commented dryly, crouching low and trying to maintain his balance on the sand, getting ready for a fight.

"Oh geez. This is bad. This is very, very bad..." The girl muttered to herself, having the sense to at least keep her back to his so that they weren't leaving an opening. Steven wasn't sure if that was on purpose or not, but it was a good instinct either way. "Why are there so many of them?!"

"Hey, don't worry. I've got a friend who should be coming along any second now... She can take care of something like this, no problem." Steven said, trying to reassure her. It wouldn't exactly help anything except the bugs if she freaked out and made things worse.

The circle of bugs closed in tighter, cutting off any possible escape routes.

"... I don't suppose 'any second now' could just be  _now?"_ She asked, her panicked words quickly turning into a shriek as one of the bolder ones jumped towards them, with Steven's training taking over and causing him to get between the bug and the girl, kicking it to the side.

Wrong move. Seeing one of their comrades getting punted into a splatter on the rocks just seemed to make the rest of them angrier, and they began to jump, crawl, and bite at the two kids with extreme prejudice. To their credit though, the girl was doing a fair job at blindly swatting them away, at one point, picking up a nearby stick and doing a spot on impression of a major league baseball batter; Steven was holding his own as well, thanks to Jasper teaching him how to handle swarming enemies. Still, their luck had to run out some time, and once the two began to think that they might just get out of this situation unharmed, the ground below their feet began to shake.

"W-w-what n-now?!" Steven yelled, falling to his knees and having a bug take a small chunk out of his arm. He shouted, feeling a warmth leak down his arm as blood started to leak out from the wound as he swatted the bug away and stamped on the head of one trying to go for his leg.

His question was soon answered, as the ground erupted off to the side, causing even the writhing swarm of pests to stop and look. And as if the universe didn't seem intent enough on having Steven and the girl wind up as one sizable puddle of goop, from the sandy soil rose up the largest bug either child had seen. It let out an ear splitting screech, spitting out concentrated bursts of the green acid all across the beach and effectively melting some of the smaller ones, driving the majority of the bugs that remained back into their holes in the cliff face, leaving Steven alone with a strange girl, and a huge problem.

"... Run..." He said, keeping his eye on the large green eye glaring at the two of them from  _inside_ the creature's gaping maw.

"What?"

 _"RUN!"_ He yelled, grabbing her by the arm and leading a retreat towards the town. They made it almost to the edge of the dunes, too, before the monster cut their retreat off, lashing out with the pincers on its tail. Steven tackled the girl out of the way, rolling out of the fall and getting to his feet, trying to search for an opening of any kind that would allow them to get out of this. The Monster was already two steps ahead of him, though, circling it's body around the two kids in a flash, and constricting, getting closer with each second, and dribbling acid down around them, like it was drooling over the thought of two fresh new morsels to devour.

This was it...

There was no way out. Steven was going to die, before he ever got to live...

And it was all because of some stupid, oversized  _bug?!_

 _..._ And the girl grabbing his arm and screaming wasn't helping AT ALL!

The jaws were closing in.

...

He could feel the sand near his feet burning as the acid fell within a hairs breadth of his skin.

...

And he could already feel his limbs going numb and cold from fear and blood loss.

...

He closed his eyes, wishing more than anything, that at that moment, someone would come save him. That he could have at least a glimmer of hope...

...

And that was when he heard her voice.

 _"Steven... Why are you looking to others to save you, when you already have the power to save yourself?"_ It asked, the world around him seeming to slow down as his eyes darted around, looking for the source of the strange, calming words.

"W-what do you mean? I don't have anything! I can't fight this thing, it's too big! And I don't even know how to use my gem!" He protested, confused and scared beyond words.

_"You don't need to fight it, Steven. You have never needed to fight anything. You have a much greater power than anything brute force could ever hope to wield. You have Authority."_

"What does that even mean?!" He asked, panic returning in force as the world started to begin moving in real time again, and the green eye of the enemy bore down on him, threatening to swallow him whole.

 _"... Do you want to die like this?"_ The voice asked calmly.

"NO!"

_"Then show me. Make your enemy see who you are. Show it your unyielding will. Make it recognize the Authority you alone hold over your life."_

"Stop talking like that... Stop confusing me. Just... **_STOP!!!_** " He shouted, louder than he had ever before, eyes tightly shut and tears streaming down his face as he braced for the inevitable end...

...

And it still wasn't there...

... Why wasn't he dead yet?

He was afraid to look. Terrified that the monster just wanted to look at his face as it ate him, but when he cracked open his eyes, the thing that caught his attention, wasn't the silence, or even the small craters of acid spit right next to him.

It was the bright yellow glow shining through his shirt.

"What is that?" A quiet voice next to him asked, making him turn and see the bewildered face of the girl next to him as she stared, gawking at the diamond shining from his chest.

"I... I don't know. I mean, I know that it's my gem... But I don't know what it's doing. It's never done this before..." He said, smiling despite the situation. His gem was finally glowing!

... And they were still surrounded by a giant acid drooling monster...

He spun around, glaring up into the green eye of the creature. If it was going to kill them one second, then why had it stopped?

... And why was it shivering like it was afraid of him?

"It stopped when you yelled at it..." The girl said quietly, as if reading his mind. "I don't know how you got it to listen, but you did. And then that thing in your chest started glowing, and I thought we were done for and PLEASE tell me you can get it to leave us alone now!"

Well, maybe not  _that_ quietly.

"Uh... I can try..." He said, trying to remember what that woman's voice had told him. Make the enemy see him... Maybe it already knew who he was, somehow? "My name... Is Steven." He said, pointing at himself, the creature actually blinking like it was following along with what he was saying. "I am in charge of my own life, and I've decided that I do NOT want to be eaten... And I don't want you to eat her, either. Now  **leave**."

He stamped his foot in the sand on the last word, glaring up at the monster, trying not to let it realize just how scared he was at being so stupid as to try and  _talk_ to the thing that was fifty times his size and in a very good position to make him an easy meal.

Amazingly enough, after a few seconds of silence, the creature started to uncoil from around them! It skittered backwards, slowly, and always keeping an eye on Steven, almost like HE was the predator. But he didn't want to risk turning his back on the monstrous thing, so he kept staring it down, until it slowly climbed back into its hole in the sand, the ground around it funneling down after it, and sealing up the massive tunnel until it just looked like any other random dune on the beach.

\--->

"That was amazing! How did you get that thing to do that?!" Connie asked, finishing the wrapping around Steven's arm. After the monster had left, the adrenaline rush quickly left both kids tired and exhausted, and in Steven's case, injured. Luckily, he knew enough basic medicine from Jasper, that he was able to make a decent sized bandage out of part of his shirt, but he still needed a second pair of hands to tie it on properly. And after what just happened, it seemed only natural to exchange names.

"I have no idea... I just heard a voice, it said some things, and then the next thing I knew, we weren't dead..." He answered truthfully, skimming over exactly how strange the words the voice had used really were. Now that they weren't in a life or death situation, he was really astounded by how well Connie was managing to keep it all together... He was pretty sure that most human kids her age weren't really familiar with having to fight for their life. And here she was, still hanging around even after the relatively strange light show he had put on. Hmmm... Maybe Peridot's observations of humans not really liking gems had been wrong? He'd have to talk to her about that when he got back home. "Um... So, thanks for helping with this, by the way." He said, gesturing at the improvised wrapping and smiling politely.

"Well, you know, what are friends for?" She responded nonchalantly, smiling back at him and standing up, offering him a hand up, which he accepted.

"So... Do you live around here then?" He asked, not really sure what to talk about with someone his age, as they made their way back towards the boardwalk.

"Sort of? I mean, my family just moved into those new townhomes they built where the old car wash used to be. My dads work had us move, and we just got settled in last month. Still, I don't think I've ever seen you around. Are you new, too?" She replied, looking at him expectantly.

"Um. Not really 'new'... I just don't live in the town like most people would think..." He answered vaguely. How was he supposed to tell a human that he lived in a literal cave system beneath the city? He wasn't even sure that he could trust her, really... Still... Part of him felt better having someone to talk to that wasn't a teacher of sorts.

"Oh... Well, do you have a ride home? I'm sure my parent could give you a lift if you needed one." She offered.

"No. I'll be fine getting home. I just need to find Lapis." He answered, shaking his head and trying to be polite.

"Oh. Who's Lapis? Is that your sister or something?"

"Uh... Sort of?"

"Cool! I always wanted an older sister to take me places."

"It's a bit more complicated than that though..." He said, trying to figure out where to begin, when he heard his name being called from behind them.

"Steven! I looked for you down at the beach, but you weren't there! We've gotta get you back home before Jasper and Peridot get upset, or start sending out probes to try and find you." Lapis said, running up to the two kids before noticing that Connie was there talking with Steven. "And who's your little friend here?" She asked, smiling and crouching down to get a better look at Connie.

"I'm Connie Maheswaran, ma'am." She answered, waving a greeting to the blue gem. "Are you Lapis? Steven mentioned you a second ago... Which probably means that you're going to leave now."

"Yeah. Jasper and Peridot don't like it when I'm late for meals." Steven said, scratching the back of his neck nervously, part of him wanting to stay there and talk to Connie some more. "Will I be able to see you around though?"

"Well, I live in town, so yeah, I'd say so. But if it helps, here's my phone number, so we can stay in touch. Give me a call sometime. You seem really interesting." She answered, scribbling out some digits on a napkin from the fry shop that was lying around, and handing it to him.

"That's good. I mean, being able to stay in touch with you. I'll uh... do that. Sometime soon." He said, accepting the napkin and blushing at the compliment. He got called 'interesting' by Peridot all the time, but somehow he liked it more coming from Connie.

"... Well... As much as I hate to break this little moment up, Steven we really need to go." Lapis said, steering Steven back towards the beach so the two of them could get back home.

The whole time they were walking away though, she couldn't stop smiling over the fact that he had actually made a human friend. She was so happy for him that she didn't even notice the gash on his arm until they got back to the cave and Jasper saw the wound, yelling at her for letting him get hurt, while Peridot doted on the injury and tried her best to patch him up properly. Then there was the jaw dropping moment that managed to make all three Gems look at each other in disbelief when Steven told them about what had happened; and when he told them about his gem starting to activate, they were too busy cheering and congratulating him to even focus on something small like a (not so) little bug bite.

All in all, it had been a  _very_ eventful day...

 

\--------> ELSEWHERE

 

4010 Days... 4010 scratches on the walls of his prison... Greg was beginning to lose hope of ever being free again. He was taken care of, as much as a prisoner can be, really. But the isolation his captors imposed on him was maddening, to say the least...

Still. There was one saving grace. And it was a secret that even the Crystal Gems hadn't figured out. Or else, they knew about it and just never saw fit to take it away from him. He wasn't sure which option he preferred. But today, almost exactly 11 years after his capture, he finally had a piece of happiness. A small marble sized communication diode flashed a simple message against the wall for him to read...

 _'He used his Gem'_  It said plainly. But he knew what it meant.

"My boy..." He muttered to himself quietly, smiling for the first time in what might well have been years. "My Steven..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.  
> I'd rather not mention how long it took me to realize that I saved a draft of this chapter, rather than posting it...  
> The next one will be out by Monday night, EST.  
> Let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.


	4. Gem Polishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven goes on his first mission. What could go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this took a lot longer than expected, and I apologize for that.  
> Honestly, between computer AND phone problems on my end of things, there was just no way I could have had access to the site to get any work done, but here it is, the 4th chapter, typed up in pieces on several of my more generous friends smart phones...  
> Hopefully the next few additions to the story will come out a bit faster once I get my computer and phone fixed.  
> Moral of the story, don't let your friends play with Earth Magnets near your desk...
> 
> I really hope it was worth the wait. :/

"... Hey Jasper... Can I ask you something?" Steven asked, sitting on the couch and resting after a particularly intense, but ultimately fruitless training session. The older gem rested beside him, poring over some sort of field report from one of Peridot's drones, and it wasn't until he poked her in the arm to get her attention that she looked up, obviously startled out of whatever train of thought she was on.

"Hm? Oh, yes, what is it, Steven?" She asked, her rough voice quieter than it normally was. She'd been a lot quieter lately, actually.

"... Do you think that there might be a chance that I could maybe possibly come with you guys on your next mission?" He asked hesitantly.

Jasper put the tablet she was reading from down, looking at him seriously. "Steven, we've been over this... Until you can control your Gem better, I can't have you putting yourself at risk. Do I need to go over all the different ways that that sort of thing could backfire and jeopardize everything? Or worse, get you hurt? I'm sorry Steven... I know you want to go with us, but I can't until I can at least feel confident that you won't be in any more danger than the rest of us."

"But that could take centuries!" Steven complained, throwing a rather uncharacteristic fit towards one of his guardians. "And I don't even know if I'll live for that long! The Earth is my home, and I know that what you and the others are doing is important... I want to help..."

She sighed, rubbing the flat of her gem like she always did when she was having a debate inside her own head.

"... Besides. I haven't been able to get my gem to activate since that time on the beach with Connie, and I'm beginning to wonder if maybe it just doesn't activate if I'm not in real danger." Steven said, pushing just a little bit more. He knew how crucial this moment was when Jasper was considering a decision. "I mean, as dangerous as those drones can be, I know you won't let them actually hurt me, so maybe that's affecting what I can do. You know, kind of like how you always fight your hardest when Lapis is training with you and doesn't hold back. Or maybe-"

"Enough." Jasper said, cutting him off and holding her hand up for silence. "... There's a chance that we might have a relatively safe mission coming up in a couple days... And I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to show you what we do firsthand."

"You mean it? Awesome!" Steven exclaimed, jumping in his seat and laughing with excitement, before being cut off once again by Jasper.

" **But...** You can only go with us if you promise me that you'll do exactly as we say, and that you'll try and stay safe... Can you do that for me, Steven?" Jasper asked, looking him in the eye, her own gaze looking more tired and upset than Steven could ever really recall seeing before.

"Uh... Yeah. I promise, Jasper." He answered, calmed down by the sobering look.

"Alright then... Now, go get washed up for dinner. Peridot's going to toss a fit if you show up and get dirt everywhere in the kitchen." She said simply, ending the discussion and smiling weakly at his assurance of caution.

After he wandered off to clean himself up, Jasper shook her head, still debating with herself as to whether this was the right decision or not, and reviewing the latest field reports from Peridot's drones about activity starting up at one of the old Kindergarten sites.

 

\--->  ** _KINDERGARTEN SITE: THETA-217, ALPHA_**

 

To most humans, growing up in a cave, and being cut off from a good chunk of human contact for the majority of your life while living as a refugee of sorts on your own planet might have sounded like a really horrible experience... But then again, most humans have never gotten to ride in a Gem Tech space pod, flying through the air at Mach 3...

Steven was not most humans, and he was currently flying in a ship going at Mach 3.

Well, he was in the ship. Peridot was steering. But it was still awesome beyond words. For starters, there was the feeling of your face trying to peel away from your skull, and the force of motion meant that his head was pressed back against his seat. But the view more than made up for it. In order to avoid things like radars and sensors that the Crystal Gems may have set up, they were all flying in a tight formation, well below the cloud cover. Seeing everything blur as it went past was amazing, but dizzying. And knowing that they'd traveled nearly 500 miles just in the last 15 minutes was mind boggling, to say the least. His only regret was that the rollercoaster at the boardwalk would never feel the same after this.

" Steven, did you read your mission briefing?" Peridot asked, glancing at him over her shoulder.

"You mean the green folder you left on my bed with the words 'VERY IMPORTANT' on the front?"

"Yes."

"I might have forgotten to look at it..." He admitted.

"You what?! Steven, Jasper and I both tins you this morning over breakfast, to read the stupid folder! How did you forget to read it?!" She asked, exasperated and mildly panicked.

"... I was trying to remember if I forgot to pack anything in my bag..." He responded, holding up his novelty back pack, various weapons and snacks poking out of the pockets haphazardly.

"Ugh... Steven... You didn't even need to bring those! This is a stealth mission to shut down one of the reactivated Kindergarten sites. All you're coming along for is to watch and learn how we work as a team in the field..." Peridot said, groaning at Steven's unpreparedness.

"Sorry Peridot..." Steven murmured apologetically.

"It's fine. Well, it's not, but this is your first time going on one of these things... So I suppose there were bound to be a couple errors along the way... Alright, I guess I'll have to fill you in on the details at least. When we get there though, leave the bag in the pod. I don't want you getting trigger happy and accidentally setting off any alarms we might run into." She responded, setting the path for the rest of the trip, then swiveling around in her seat to give Steven the run down on what the mission would entail.

Once the pods landed, the Gems scanned the area for any hostiles, which was difficult with the smoke and fog that hung in the air, but Jasper still nodded to Peridot once the area was considered secure. The green gem in turn locked down the pods to prevent any Humans stumbling across them, and closing them off from sabotage from any hidden adversaries. The group then turned to focus on the job at hand. It took a bit longer than any of them were comfortable with, being out in the open as they were, but eventually they found the entrance to take them to the Kindergarten core. The sound of the machines whirring around the mountainous area they were in more than serving to mask any noise they might be making on their way down.

"... So this is where they make new Gems?" Steven asked, as they walked down the appropriate tunnel, passing various clusters of small exclusions that were in fact Gem clusters.

"Yes, Steven. This is just one site though, out of hundreds across the planet right now. Yellow Diamond personally destroyed the Hearts of most of them in an attempt to slow production down, and limit any harm that the Gem growth process might do to the Planet. Unfortunately, not all of them could be shut down, and there's nothing we can do about them for now. But I was with her when we shut this particular one down, and I'm not about to let her legacy be rewritten just to suit someone else's plan..." Jasper replied, lowering her usually gruff tone to almost a whisper.

"So, are all these Gems like you guys then? How come they don't have bodies?" He continued, poking one of the larger culsters poking out from the rock walls of the corridor.

"We don't even technically have 'bodies' Steven. You know that." Peridot said, gently grabbing his wrist and pulling it away from the cluster. "Right now they're not 'mature' enough though, to create a hard light structure like we can. They're all alive, but if it were in human terms... They're still infants. They're dormant until they reach a certain balance of minerals and energy. It varies from Gem to Gem, but generally there's at least a  2 week growth cycle from the time of activation of a Kindergarten, to the 'waking up' of the first batches of Gems."

"So how long has this Kindergarten been working on these Gems for?"

"We first noticed resumed activity about a week ago, so these Gems are only half baked, at best." Peridot answered, frowning at a cluster of glowing yellow-orange crystals. "Unfortunately, these are also mostly what would be considered foot soldiers and brawlers. Citrines, it looks like... Could be a lot of trouble if they woke up."

After a few more minutes of walking, they finally arrived at the control center, machinery humming around them, almost like a giant heart beat... Then Steven looked up and actually saw what looked to be a giant heart, made entirely of crystal. But aside from the glass like structure actually appearing to pulse, shifting who knows what throughout the structure around them, the Heart looked almost like something out of one of the Biology textbooks that Peridot and Lapis taught him with.

"So... how do we stop it from working?" Steven asked, gulping nervously at the imposing and slightly off putting structure hanging overhead.

"We can't take any chances with this thing reactivating again. Last time we shut it down from the command console over there." Jasper said, pointing at an array of buttons off to the side. "This time, we're going to make sure that no one ever has a chance to use this equipment again. Lapis, I'm going to need you for this one."

"I know. Let's get this done with. This place is giving me a really bad feeling." Lapis answered, holding her hand out for Jasper to take, and beginning to dance.

Peridot walked Steven off to the side, out of harms way as Jasper and Lapis' gems began to glow, their bodies dissolving into pure light, and finally reforming as a much taller, more imposing figure that Steven had only seen twice before, when the Gems were teaching him about Fusion.

As the glow from the new fusion faded, Steven still couldn't help but look in awe at the nearly 20 foot tall Fusion. It's skin was striped like Jasper's, but had a seagreen and black color scheme that seemed more like Lapis. It's 4 eyes centered on him and Peridot, and Steven stared transfixed as Malachite walked over, crouching down to their level, smiling and reaching out one of her hands to ruffle his head.

"Well now, it's been a while since I got to see you, Steven. Must be a bit of a pinch though, if they needed me, huh?" Malachite said, chuckling to herself.

"Hey, this is no time to be messing around. We've got work to do." Peridot interrupted, cutting the fusion off mid thought.

"I know, I know, I'm on it. Seriously though Peridot, you need to lighten up and learn to enjoy the moment." Malachite said, waving one hand dismissively as she turned back to the crystal heart and pulled back two of her other arms, water leaking out of the very walls at her command, and pooling around her. "Hmmm... Not too much moisture down here to work with, but I can still mess this thing up pretty good. It's just going to take me a minute or two." She muttered, concentrating and causing the water to shoot up at the Heart, encircling it and hardening into ice that cracked the rock around it. Once the whole thing was encased in ice and frost, and the surrounding stone made a groaning sound as it was forcefully pushed away, Malachite reached all 4 of her arms up, creating handholds from the ice, and pulled as hard as she could, until the Heart was literally ripped from the wall in a chunk of ice.

"Think that should do it?" She asked over her shoulder, holding the iced over Heart like a trophy.

"Yeah, that should work pretty good. But it would have worked better if it were in pieces." Peridot replied, rolling her eyes at the showy display of power.

"Oh come on, I don't get out often, and I wanted to show Steven something cool." Malachite complained, throwing the whole block of ice down on top of the command console, demolishing both the Heart and controls in one move. "Besides, I'd say if nothing else, that should do the trick, hmm?"

"Yeah yeah, now unfuse already and let's get out of here. You're not going to fit in the pods like that, and you know it."

"One of these times, I'll get you to loosen up a bit and fuse for yourself, Peri." Malachite said, sticking a tongue out at the lime colored Gem, and winking at Steven. "Just let Lapis and Jasper know if you want to hang out some more sometime, Steven. I'll see you around."

And just as quickly as she was there, Malachite glowed, separating into the two aforementioned Gems, and disappearing.

"Ugh... I swear Lapis, how someone your size puts up with the strain of that water control is beyond me. I feel like my Gem's about to crack from the strain of it every time." Jasper groaned, massaging the flat of her Gem as she spoke.

"Well I guess I'm just use to it. And I actually enjoy Fusing, so maybe that's part of it." Lapis retorted, laughing at the expression on Jasper and Peridot's faces.

"Can we not talk about this kind of stuff in front of Steven? We need to get going before someone  _else_ comes out here and tries to figure out why the machines have stopped." Peridot said, face turning a deeper shade of green as she grabbed Steven by the arm and led him back up the corridor to leave the Kindergarten, leaving Lapis and Jasper to catch up.

"... What did Malachite mean when she said you need to loosen up and fuse for yourself?" Steven asked as they walked.

"All it means is that she should mind her own business." Pridot grumbled, cutting him off with a look that did all but hold up a sign saying ' _I do not want to talk about this, stop asking questions_ '. _  
_

They finally reached the surface again, just as Jasper and Lapis caught up to them, and the machines were still slowing down but the noise level already having dropped significantly.

"Everyone be on your guard. There may have been lookouts posted that we missed earlier." Jasper said, looking around the Probe covered landscape for any out of place shapes.

"Well, I wouldn't call us  _lookouts_ , but I suppose we were keeping an eye out for you fools." A strange voice said, cutting through the air just as what looked like a purple blur smashed into Lapis' side, sending her flying into one of the machines, toppling it in the process.

"Lapis!" Steven cried out, starting to go try and help her, but getting stopped by Jasper's hand on his shoulder, pushing him behind her as her helmet flashed into existence, and Peridot's arm cannon began charging up.

"Show yourselves!" Jasper yelled, looking around anxiously as Lapis crawled out of the wrecked machine and hurried back to join the group.

"Oh wow. I thought that one would crack her Gem for sure. Guess she's tougher than you figured, huh Garnet?" A second voice said, this one off to the side that the purple blur had been heading.

"Well, I only see possibilities, after all. Some of them are bound to be wrong." The first voice responded, getting closer.

"I said, SHOW YOURSELVES!" Jasper roared, trying to get some sort of visual on their attackers, but the still clearing smoke blocking any visibility past twenty meters or so.

"Wow. And I thought Pearl could yell. Dibs on the loud one!" The second voice said, a silhouette appearing at the edge of their visibility, Peridot's cannon firing at the figure, but only getting a laugh for her trouble. "Ooohhh. And I kind of want to fight that one too. She's feisty!"

"Amethyst, remember the mission. Don't go losing control of yourself. That's how you get  _your_ gem cracked." The first voice said, a tall, red hued Gem wielding a large pair of gauntlets walking out from behind one of the machines to their left.

"Oh great... It's her." Jasper said, gritting her teeth.

"Her, who?" Steven asked, from behind his guardians, all three looking on edge and some form of furious at this development.

"Garnet." Lapis answered simply, "Steven, stay behind us. We'll take care of this."

"Steven?" The second voice asked, stepping out of the fog now, revealing a much less intimidating, but much more wild looking purple gem, her eyes scanning the group and zeroing in on the young hybrid. "So you're the one Greg won't shut up about... Yellow Diamond's 'kid', huh?"

"You leave him out of this!" Peridot yelled, firing her cannon at the one called Amethyst, and missing as the purple gem sidestepped every shot, lashing out with a twin tailed whip that ensnared Peridot's legs, and sending an energy jolt through her that brought her crashing to the ground on hands and knees.

"I don't think so... Even if I didn't have orders to being you losers in, I'd still be after  _that_ thing." Amethyst said, smiling maliciously at Steven. "I've got a bit of a personal score to settle."

"Amethyst! Don't make any of this personal right now. We can  **both**  get back at Yellow Diamond later. For now, subdue and capture them all." Garnet said, cracking her knuckles and charging them.

Steven jumped backwards, managing to somehow evade Garnet's punch as it crashed into the ground where he was standing just a second ago, and leaving a small crater. Unfortunately, by jumping backwards, he landed on the slope of the corridor that they had just left, and his footing slipped, which caused him to go tumbling backwards, landing nearly 50 meters down and smacking his head against an outcropping of gems. He groaned, picking himself up from the ground shakily and starting to slowly make his way back up to the surface to help the Gems fight. The sounds of combat echoed down the stone corridor, crashing through the air and sounding a hundred times worse than anything his training had prepared him for. As he stumbled back into the open air above, the noise seemed to slow down, and then ceased. And when he finally got back to the surface, and looked around, he saw Garnet and Amethyst waiting for him, and no one else.

"W-where did they go?" He asked angrily, his body shaking with fear despite his best efforts.

"They're right here." Garnet said, holding up a red bubble with the Gems of Lapis, Peridot, and Jasper. "They're still uncracked, for now, but that can change very quickly, and now you've got no more pawns to protect you, Diamond. So why not be a good little prisoner, and come with us quietly."

"No! Give them back!" He shouted, tearing up at the thought of all three Gems having been beaten by the two in front of him.

"Awww, I think the little control freak's gonna cry, Garnet." Amethyst commented, laughing, pointing at laughing at the shaking boy.

Garnet didn't say anything. She just advanced on Steven, towering overhead and looking down at him, as if waiting to see if he would fight her, or try and run.

"No... They're not pawns... They're my friends." Steven protested, backing up from Garnet until his back hit one of the machines and he was stuck between a Gem and a hard place. "Why are you even doing this?! Why do you want to activate the Kindergarten? Dont' you knwo what it would do to the planet?!"

"Of course we know. But what happens to this world isn't our concern. We fight for Gemkind, so that it can flourish and our race can grow again. You and your Mother, you only ever saw the small picture of things, and she manipulated everyone around her to make her will reality." Garnet answered, dissolving the bubble with his friend's Gems in them, and closing her gauntlet around them slowly. "And if you don't come with us right now, I'll make my own will reality, and shatter your 'friends' right here and now. I owe at least that much to you, and you can thank your Mother for it."

"Please, just stop! Don't hurt them!" He cried, his Gem starting to glow faintly, and Garnet's gauntlet stopping mid squeeze, leaving the tall red Gem frowning in confusion.

"Quit screwing around and just crack them already, Garnet!" Amethyst called from behind her. "What's the hold up?"

"I'm trying!" Garnet shot back, practically snarling at her own hand, but the gauntlet not budging. "... You... You're doing this. You're just like her!" She cried, jumping forward and driving her fist into the machinery a mere inch over Steven's head.

Steven ducked out from below her, trying to roll to the side, and only getting caught by Garnet's free hand, hoisting him into the air by the front of his shirt. He struggled and kicked, trying to get out of her grip, to no avail.

"Stop. It. NOW!" She said, getting in his face and gritting her teeth.

"Stop what?!" Steven cried in confusion, his gem glowing brighter as he started panicking. "I'm not doing anything! Let me go!"

No sooner had he said the words, than Garnet's hand opened, releasing him and sending him falling back to the ground as she screamed in rage, kicking and punching at him, but all her attacks landing just to his side.

"Amethyst! Get him!" She cried, her form starting to glow and shift.

"Finally!" Amethyst crowed, lashing out with her whip, missing Steven by an inch as he backed away out of reach. Before he could get his footing secure, she was charging at him with the same attack that had sent Lapis flying, and all he could do was brace himself for the impact as he was sent crashing backwards into the air and skidding to a halt about ten meters from the Pods. Amethyst and Garnet both advanced on him, as he scrambled to his feet, everything hurting, and his arm bent at an odd angle that he knew meant it was broken. He had to think though... He only had a minute, at most, before the massive pain from a broken limb would set in, and he had no weapons. To top it all off, his gem was glowing like crazy and it was really distracting, and he couldn't focus on how to rescue his friends, and- Wait a second, his gem was still glowing!

Amethyst and Garnet stood in front of him, the shorter one with a manic grin plastered across her face, the tall one with a look that screamed 'murder'.

"Amethyst, finish him off before he has a chance!" Garnet instructed.

"With pleasure..." Amethyst said, pulling her arm back to lash at him with the whip. This time, there would be no chance of dodging. But Steven didn't intend to dodge.

"Stop!" Steven said, his tone changing from one of protest, to that of a superior giving an order. His Gem lit up in a pulse at his words, and just like he'd hoped, Amethyst's arm stopped midswing, leaving the purple gem with a confused and angry look on her face.

"Wha- Oh no you don't!" She shouted, charging forward and reeling back for a punch to the young boy's face.

"Miss." Steven said simply, his gem once again pulsing with his words, and Amethyst watching wide eyed as her own attack went careening straight for the dirt on the ground.

"No..." Garnet said quietly, taking a step back. "There's no way you've got that kind of power under control yet. You'd have used it on us as soon as we showed up, if you did."

"I'll be honest, I don't know how I'm doing this." Steven admitted, looking between the two now frightened gems. "But I do know what I have to do. I've got to save my family. Give me their Gems." He said, holding his hand out as Garnet marched towards him robotically, her fist shaking as it extended and dropped all three of the still uncracked Gems into his hand, as if of it's own accord.

Once Jasper, Lapis, and Peridot were safely in hand, Steven looked at Garnet and Amethyst. He could use this chance to capture them... Some part of him knew that he had that power... But he didn't know how much longer he could keep in control of whatever this feeling was washing over him. And he knew that the pain from his arm was just about at the point that it would flood through him whether he wanted it to or not. His Gem's glow started to fade, and he knew that he had to make this last moment count.

"Now... Let us leave." He ordered, watching as Garnet and Amethyst both took a few steps back and stood stock still, even if their eyes were glaring daggers at him as he opened the hatch on one of the pods, and crawled in, punching the button that Peridot had told him to earlier if anything happened to them.

As the ship started to take off, Steven could only focus on staying conscious as wave after wave of pain washed over him, radiating from the broken arm. He didn't even notice the two figures that joined Garnet and Amethyst as he left the Kindergarten site. But they noticed him.

"... So that's what he looks like..." The tallest Gem in the group commented, smiling to herself as Garnet and Amethyst began arguing over who's fault it was that Steven had escaped, her pink curls blowing in the breeze. "I guess we'll have to meet some other time then, little Diamond... Soon though... Very soon."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a few comics that showed the homeworld gems as Stevens guardians, rather than the CG's, and wondered what sort of events must have led up to that sort of situation. This is the result.


End file.
